Common Ground: Bridging Police and Community Collaboration

Communities must work together to become resilient. Please enjoy this piece from our Guest Blogger: Richard C. Lumb, Ph. D.

As loud voices erupt to demand their particular agenda, the focus of disruption is often against police. Remove the effectiveness of police and social chaos emerges. Dampen the courage of leaders in support of order and chaos occurs. Active or tacit refusal to demand social order for the substantial majority of citizens has the effect of emboldening the aberrant behaviors. Peaceful protest, making a convincing argument and seeking collaborative change disappears to be replaced with chaos, and the effect on many is an unnecessary fear.

We have multiple examples of mob assaults, property damage, rioting, looting, injury and murder of police and citizens, and threats of targeted action that furthers the intimidation factor. Communities, free speech, personal rights – all under attack by loud voices that echo off the silent majority.

A national hysteria exists in some places, unreasonable demands and refusal to collaborate for sustainable change dominates. It needlessly harms people and communities. This deviant attempt at social change does not accomplish the desired result. Demands abhorred by the vast majority of citizens, yet they remain silent.

My co-author and I have decades of community service engagements, including substantial police experience as sworn officers. From experience in community involvement, we believe and have witnessed positive change; the turnaround on the highway to oblivion. Police, in particular, and the larger public/private stakeholder community must step up their collaboration and partnership efforts, identify problems, engage in sustainable solutions and return their community focus to improvements in the collective quality-of-life efforts.

We are convinced, as witnessed by the many community programs utilizing collaboration, planning, and sustainable problem-solving that positive results occur.

The book guides, it offers communities and their police ideas and pathways to regaining community well-being through collaboration and focused efforts. We offer applied tools to be used with identified issues and problems, tailored to your community and its needs. As a witness to positive change, our decision to provide this guide emerged. I appreciate your time with this message.